Here Grows the Heart
by LittleTayy
Summary: Driving over the town line she knew it was the best decision she'd ever made in her long, miserable life. A story of growth, love, acceptance and finally finding your happy ending. Regina-centric. Regina/OC. Regina/Henry, mother/son bonding. Regina/Emma friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Here Grows the Heart**

_**Chapter One**_

Three years was how long it'd taken Henry, and Emma, to find Regina. They'd tracked her all the way down to Los Angles, but much to both their disappointment they'd found that Regina had moved back to the East coast. So now here they were, in a town just out side of Charleston, South Carolina, looking for the right address.

Both their brows furrowed in disbelief when they pulled up to the right address. It was a little two storey brown cottage, with shutters on the windows and a large garden filled with plants and trees. They looked to each other again before Henry looked down at the address, making sure they were at the right place.

"This is the right address, 62 Evergreen Road," Henry says, pushing his phone in front of Emma's face, showing the map.

After a moment Emma finally spoke, "Well go on then kid," she said, tilting her head towards the house. This whole endeavour had been for Henry's benefit, the now 14 year old had been missing his mother steadily for three years and Emma had decided it was time they'd found the brunette. At least that's what she tried to convince herself; she didn't want to admit that she missed Regina too.

Henry sighed, getting out of the car and making his way through the gate and up the path. Stopping in front of the front door, he turned halfway to look back at Emma, worry and anxiety etched on his young features. His blonde mother flashed him what she hoped was an encouraging smile as he turned back around, taking a deep breath and knocking on the old wood of the door.

A silent, awkward moment later the door was pulled open but not by the woman he had expected. Henry instead looked up into the unfamiliar dark blue eyes of a man he'd never seen before. He took a small step back, quickly casting his gaze over the man before him; he was fairly tall, muscled, light stubble across his chin and cheeks, with dark brown hair atop his head.

"Can I uh...help you?" the man asked, his voice deep and smooth. Henry looked up at him again before glancing back at the address on his phone, frowning deeper than before.

"Um, does a Regina Mills live here?" he asked cautiously, taking a little step backwards.

"Yeah, she does kid," he answered, "I'll just get her," he continued, eyeing the kid suspiciously but turning and walking into the house in search of Regina.

Several moments later, a slightly fidgety Henry looked back up to see his mother and the man standing in the doorway. Regina looked decidedly different, her hair longer and her clothes not the pressed business ensembles Henry had seen through his childhood but it was still his mother. Her eyes and mouth were wide open in surprise and despite the uneasy feeling, Henry beamed up at the mother he hadn't seen for three years.

"Mom," he exclaimed happily, throwing his arms around her in a tight hug uncharacteristic of a 14 year old boy.

* * *

_Three Years Ago  
_  
_"There's nothing left for me here," Regina says quietly, tiredly. She is looking towards the blonde saviour, hoping she'd understand._

_"What are you talking about Regina? You've got Henry and...Me," she blusters out, partially angry and partially confused. She doesn't understand what Regina is saying, why she's making this decision now or how she can possibly change her mind. She doesn't really think she wants Regina to go but she isn't sure she wants her to stay either; there are too many conflicting emotions within her to deal with._

_Regina scoffs, crossing her arms across her chest almost defensively, "No, I don't. Henry hasn't been mine for a long time, you've certainly seen to that and I most definitely don't have you either," she tells her resignedly._

_Regina looks away then, glancing towards her packed car. A suitcase sits on the backseat, filled with close she'll probably dispose of and a box rests on the floor, filled with her most precious possessions. A photo album of Henry, some of his more sincere gifts, her mothers' locket and a jewellery box her daddy had given her on her 12th year. It was a dismal showing of her life but there wasn't much else she wanted to remember, from this land or the other._

_"Regina, please, please don't go," Emma practically begs although she has no idea why she does. After everything, Emma should truly and utterly hate the woman in front of her but; she just can't bring herself to. She wants to imagine she only cares because the woman raised Henry, and loved him the best she could, when Emma herself couldn't; but she can't be sure it isn't something more either._

_"I've made my decision Miss Swan and you won't persuade me from it," Regina tells her with a sigh, looking back up to the blonde._

_"Right," the blonde nods in anger, her stubbornness setting in. As much as she knows how wrong it'll be for Regina to not be here, especially for Henry, she will not fight for her. Regina is the Evil Queen after all, she ruined everyone's lives and Emma knows she should just be glad the witch wants to leave and yet it doesn't quite settle right within her._

_Regina, seeing that Emma had finally given up almost sighed in relief. She turned towards her car, opening the drivers' side door but hesitated for a moment. She glanced briefly over her shoulder at the blonde as she spoke, "Tell-tell Henry I love him...please," she says so quietly Emma almost doesn't hear it. The blonde says nothing in return, just watches as Regina gets into her Mercedes and pulls out of her drive way without a glance backwards._

_Regina drives through town, eyes steadfastly fixed straight ahead. She does not want to reminisce or dig up memories of the last 29 years she'd spent in Storybrooke. She'd thought there'd be tears or some type of emotion as she got closer and closer towards the town line but there is only brief pain of leaving Henry and relief. Relief that she'd finally be leaving her painful past behind and relief that she was going to finally be free, just like she'd always wanted._

_Driving over the town line she knew it was the best decision she'd ever made in her long, miserable life._

* * *

Regina smiled at her lover as he stood across the room from her, holding a lilac paint swatch up against the ugly brown wall of the room they were in. The room had just been cleared out; nothing was in there, in preparation for their painting endeavour. She rested a hand on her rounded belly, rubbing it gently as she thought over the colour; lilac was a pretty colour but she just wasn't sure it was right.

"What about the sunshine yellow?" she suggests as she moves across the room, plucking the colour swatch from her lovers hand and holding it against the wall.

"I don't know Regina...isn't it a bit bright?" the man jokes, looking down at the former queen with a teasing grin.

"Too bright? Honestly Jack," she laughs, rolling her eyes at her partner. "I think yellow's the perfect colour for our little one's nursery," she continues, smiling up at him sincerely.

Jack Johnson smiles down at his lover, knowing he'll concede on the yellow because he loves Regina and really, anything that isn't this ugly brown will be better. He tosses the paint swatches to the ground, stepping forward to pull Regina closer, pecking her lightly on the lips. Regina easily let's him pull her closer, sighing happily into the kiss, grinning as they pulled away.

"The yellow's good, anything but this brown," he says, taking the yellow swatch from her hand and pressing it to the wall. He takes a roll of tape from his pocket and sticks a strip over the edge of the swatch, securing it to the wall. Regina watches him curiously as he taps it, "Now we can just keep that there until we buy all the paint. To remind us what colour we decided on," he says with a grin and a nod.

Regina nods happily, leaning up to kiss Jack again. Their lips meet sweetly at first but then Regina pushes closer, hands crawling up Jack's body and tongue swiping at his lip. Jack's own hands rested gently on her waist, holding her as close as they could get. Their moment however was interrupted by a knocking on the front door, startling them both.

"I'll get it," Jack tells her softly, pecking her on the forehead as he left the room. Regina watched after him happily, a surge of love and warmth filling her as she now thought about her life. This had been what she'd always wanted, pure happiness, the kind that came with love and inner peace. Something which she'd never achieved before, something which she was all too afraid would come crashing down around her one day.

She started to make her way downstairs, curious as to who could be at the door. They didn't know a lot of people here yet, only the people Jack worked for and they certainly wouldn't just stop by like this. Halfway down the stairs, she see's Jack at the bottom, looking up at her with a slightly confused expression.

"There's a kid, at the door for you."

Regina frowns; she doesn't know anyone well enough here, especially not a child. She comes the rest of the way down the stairs before speaking, "Did they give you a name?" she asks curiously.

Jack shakes his head, "Nah. Just asked if a Regina Mills lived here. Kid looks about 13 or 14, brown hair, brown eyes. Looks like any other teenager to be honest."

The description, though vague, sets off a reminder in Regina's head of a little boy she'd once adopted. She can't help but think of Henry at the moment, her little boy who would be 14 now; her first child one, one she hadn't seen in three years. There was a dull pain in her heart as she thought of Henry but she quickly shook it off, he was in the past now and she had to look towards the future; her happy future.

They walk towards the front door, Regina wondering who this kid was that wanted to speak to her. She stopped, frozen in the doorway as she took in the young teenager in front of her. He was slightly taller, less chubby and hair more tousled but she knew, that was her baby boy, her Henry.

"Mom," he exclaimed happily, and before she could do anything he'd wrapped her tight in a hug. Her own arms automatically came to wrap cautiously around him too before turning her head to look up at Jack. His expression was almost unreadable but she could feel the confusion coming off of him in waves.

* * *

_AN: Well hello there. It;s certainly been a long time since I've written to be honest. I was initially hesitant about posting this but, I'm glad I'm going to. This will heavily feature an OC, which I'm quite sure you've gathered thus far. This will be a work in progress and because I do go to college full-time, I can't promise any kind of regular updates. But, if you've ever followed or read my stories before you'll know I'm notorious for irregular updates. _

_Anyway, I really love to see what you think. So please review if you'd like. :) LT._


	2. Chapter 2

**Here Grows the Heart**

_**Chapter Two**_

A moment later, after revelling in the feel of having Henry in her arms she pulled away. She looked at her son, who was now almost as tall as she was, in complete and utter surprise. She didn't understand how he could be here, how he could've possibly found her at all.

"Henry," she breathed, "What are you doing here?" she asked, brow creased in confusion. She could feel Jack tense beside her and knew she'd have a ton of explaining to do later. She hadn't exactly told him all the details of her life before she'd met him and she really couldn't stand the thought of him being angry with her.

"Wait! Are you pregnant mom?" Henry exclaimed suddenly, not answering her question. He looked down at her stomach now noticing the slight bulge that had obstructed his way while he'd hugged her. Regina cringed at the use of the word 'mom', glancing briefly towards Jack who'd taken a step back into the foyer, arms crossed over his chest.

Looking back towards Henry Regina smiled tightly, "Why don't you come in Henry and we can talk some more," the brunette suggests, stepping out of the doorway, allowing the teen to enter. Henry hesitates for a moment, looking back over his shoulder at the car Emma sits in, wondering if he should tell his mother Emma was with him.

"Um thanks but...Emma's kinda here too," he mumbles, glancing back to Regina almost sheepishly. He hadn't known exactly what had gone on with his mothers but he'd known it'd hurt Emma; Regina hadn't been there for him to see her reaction.

He watched as his brunette mother sighed, looking passed him to the black rental car in front of her house. She waited for a moment before nodding, only slightly, letting Henry know it was okay to go get Emma out of the car. The boy turned and dashed back down the path towards the car his blonde mother was waiting in, pulling open the door and leaning halfway into the car.

"It's the right place, mom's here. She said you could come in too," he told her with subdued excitement. There'd been two surprises, the man and her pregnancy, at least he assumed she was pregnant; she certainly looked it. He wasn't sure how to feel about either development, he certainly hadn't been expecting it, after all it'd always just been him and her until Emma had come along and he wasn't used to sharing his mom.

Emma frowned at Henry's words, she'd been watching the whole interaction and she'd seen the shock on Regina's face. She had also noticed the large man that'd opened the door and his tense posture as Regina and Henry continued to talk. It'd seemed a little awkward and strained and Emma wasn't sure her presence would help matters at all; still Henry wanted her to come in with him and she wasn't about to disappoint the 14 year old.

"Alright," she sighed, turning the car off and unbuckling her seatbelt. Eventually she got out of the car, locking it and trudging up the path after Henry reluctantly. She felt a bout of déjà vu at the action, remembering a time almost four years ago when she'd first, awkwardly met Regina.

They stopped at the open front door, both standing awkwardly on the front step. Emma shoved her hands in her pockets as she heard a snippet of the conversation the former Evil Queen was having. She tried not to listen and she knew Henry was trying not to either but it was hard to miss the next sentence from a booming, smooth voice.

"He called you _mom_ Regina!"

"It's complicated Jack."

They heard Regina cry out in response. It was quiet for a moment before the man they both assumed was called Jack came barrelling into the foyer. He grabbed a coat off the rack, not paying any attention to the two people just outside his door. "I'll be back later Regina," he calls out gruffly before pushing passed them as politely as he could.

A beat later Regina appears, watching him go with a look in her eyes neither Emma nor Henry can distinguish. Regina notices them finally and smiles tightly at her two visitors and that's when Emma finally notices. Her mouth falls open none too subtly and she openly gapes at Regina's pregnant belly in disbelief.

"You're pregnant?" she blurts out, not thinking about her words in the least.

Regina sighs, "Yes I am," and then she glares a glare that's finally familiar and Emma quickly closes her mouth and averts her eyes almost sheepishly.

The ex-Mayor ushers them both into her home, closing the door behind them and leads them through a warm lounge room into the kitchen. There's a small round dining table with four seats and far less extravagant than what she'd had in the Mayor's manor. She sits in one of the seats, Henry to her left and Emma directly across from her, folding her hands together and resting them in front of her on the table.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, sounding far too much like the Mayor than either Emma or Henry had expected.

* * *

_Three Years Ago_

_"We can't keep doing this...I can't keep doing this," Regina murmured sadly, head falling into her hands.__She is tired, she's been tired for so long and it's all just catching up to her now. She can't keep living the way she is, sleepless nights, lonely days, never seeing her son. It's taking its toll on her, it had been for longer than she'd care to admit and so she'd finally come to a decision._

_"What are you talking about Regina?" Emma asked, confusion marring her pretty features._

_Regina sighed, "I'm leaving Ms. Swan. I think it'll be best for everyone if I do. Especially me."_

_"The best for everyone? Are you kidding me Regina? Henry will be devastated! He's your son Regina...you can't just leave him," Emma protests, appalled by the notion._

_"Don't you dare use Henry against me! He hasn't been my son since you swooped in here all those months ago and broke my curse! You're his mother...I'm just the Evil Queen that babysat him for ten years," she spits bitterly, angry tears pooling in her eyes._

_Her arms wrap around her middle protectively, as if trying to keep out the hurt and the pain she was feeling. She looked away from the blonde, not wanting to let the Saviour see her tears as they fell down her cheeks. She startled however, when she felt hands on her arms, trying to soothe her._

_"Please don't cry Regina," Emma whispers softly, not liking how broken the other woman looks._

_"Evil Queens don't cry dear," Regina spits out, finally turning to look at the blonde._

_Their eyes connect and they stare at each other for a moment, Emma's hand moving up to slowly brush away the tears trailing down Regina's face. She smiles softly, hoping to encourage a smile from the hardened brunette in front of her too._

_"You mustn't be an Evil Queen then," she says softly, leaning closer and pressing her lips to the brunette's. For a moment, their lips are just pressed together before Regina finally responds, kissing Emma back gently. The blonde grins into the kiss, deepening it as she pulls the former Evil Queen closer, a hand on her waist._

_In a second however, the contact is gone; Regina pushes Emma away, scrambling up from her sitting position to glare down at the blonde._

_"Don't," Regina hisses, eyes fiery and blazing as she turns away from Emma and makes her way quickly inside her house. Emma sighs as she watches Regina run away, still seated on the grass that she'd landed on when Regina pushed her back. _

* * *

"What are you doing here?" his mother asks and Henry glances at Emma, frowning at the question. He doesn't understand how Regina, his mom, could possibly ask him that.

"What do you mean, why are we here? You've been gone for three years! Without a word! Henry missed you. I missed you," Emma exclaims, shocked and a little angry Regina would even ask that.

The brunette looks taken aback by the outburst before she quickly glares coldly in Emma's direction. "You know why! I told you why. It was for the best," she hissed angrily, knowing the blonde couldn't have honestly forgotten the conversation they'd had all those years ago.

The two women continue to glare at each other; Regina angry and Emma hurt. Henry sits beside his blonde mother, looking back and forth between them, brows creased, trying to figure out what they were talking about. He realized, with dismay, that there seemed to be far more to this whole thing then he'd realized. He absolutely did not like that he'd been left out of the loop like this.

"What are you talking about? What did you do?!" he spits out angrily turning to Emma, his voice growing deeper.

"Henry," Regina scolds out of habit as the teenager pushes off his seat, folding his arms over his chest crossly.

Emma for her part sighs, staring back at the teenager in frustration. The last few years have been hard and she'd quickly realized raising a child, especially one like Henry was a lot harder than she'd ever given Regina credit for. He was a good kid mostly; except for the skipping school, running off in the middle of the night and disappearing without telling one. She'd had so many near heart attacks; she couldn't even imagine what Regina had felt all those years ago too.

"Henry, look kid, this isn't the time okay? Things were complicated back then and you were just a kid alright. You didn't need to know everything," Emma tells him somewhat sternly, hoping he'll drop it for now. She's sure she'll get an earful when they're back in the rental and on their way back to the hotel.

Henry simply rolls his eyes, refraining from saying anything at all to his blonde mother. This isn't about her at the moment; it's about his mom Regina and how he could possibly convince her to come back to Storybrooke with them. His frown deepens at the thought because she's pregnant and that man she's with is obviously her boyfriend; something Henry isn't particularly sure he likes. Still though, there's a little part of him that's excited because he's going to be a big brother and he'd always wanted siblings.

"It wasn't Emma's fault Henry," Regina says after a moment, watching the interaction between the blonde and the teenager. Their dynamic isn't quite as mother/son as Regina has suspected it to be and despite herself she was glad. Though she'd left and chosen to let Emma have Henry, she'd always hoped the boy wouldn't just replace her with the blonde and she was glad to see he clearly hadn't.

Henry shrugs, in a way that's so typically teenager Regina isn't sure what to make of it for a moment. She ignores it however, looking over to Emma and silently imploring her to leave Henry and herself alone for a little while. The blonde takes the hint, standing from her seat and pulling her cell phone from her pocket.

"I'm just ah...going to call Mary Margaret...you know, let her know we're alright," she says to Henry, walking back towards the front door. The young teenager watches her go, rolling his eyes at her obviously made up excuse before turning back to Regina.

A moment of silence passes between them before he finally bucks up the courage to speak, "You didn't even say goodbye," he says sadly, sounding like the little 11 year old boy she'd left behind.

* * *

_AN: Here's chapter two. It follows straight on from chapter one, as you can see. Aren't you lucky though, an update in only a week! That's something rare, so don't get too used to it. Haha. Also, yes, there will be mentions of past sort-of-Swan Queen. _

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I hope you liked this chapter too. Please review again. :) LT._


	3. Chapter 3

**Here Grows the Heart**

_**Chapter Three**_

"Oh Henry, I know sweetheart," Regina sighs, turning in her seat to face Henry directly. "I never should have just left like that. I should have said goodbye to you but…I didn't think I could leave if I did. I am _so sorry _Henry," she continues, taking both his hands in hers and squeezing them gently in apology.

"Well if you're so sorry why'd you leave to begin with?" he asks stubbornly, hands slipping from her grasp. Regina grasps at them however holding tightly, never wanting to let them go again.

The pregnant brunette studied her little boy carefully; taking in his older features. She smiled wistfully, a hand coming up to brush a stray strand of hair away from his forehead, causing him to look at her intently. Regina smiled slightly as she saw the love still shining in Henry's eyes, however diminished and scarred.

Taking a deep breath to settle her emotions Regina spoke, "I _know _Henry. I know I shouldn't have left like I did. It was wrong of me to just leave you like that but…I couldn't stay Henry," she tells him, hoping he'll somehow understand but knowing he won't.

"Why?" Henry asked, as confused as she knew he would be.

Regina sighed; how could she explain to a 14 year old, to her _son_ the reasons she couldn't stay in Storybrooke. How could she tell her baby boy that she'd felt so sad and alone that she had been close to killing herself. That her sanity had been slowing slipping away as she was exiled to her mansion, shunned by the rest of the town as punishment for her crimes. Oh, she knew she deserved it; in fact, it was almost merciful of them to let her live except for the fact that she craved and fed off human contact.

"Henry…it was…a lot of things. It was better if I left Henry," she tells him, trying her best to convey to him what she meant without having to actually tell him.

"Was it because of me? Did you think I didn't love you anymore? Is that why you left?" he asks, voice thick with emotion.

Her heart breaks at the question and she feels the tears start to pool in her eyes. She didn't know how to answer because if she was honest with herself, that had been part of the reason why. She hadn't thought Henry loved her anymore and she couldn't go on living in that town seeing him from afar but never having her love returned. She couldn't tell him that though, she'd never tell him that she decided as she pulled him into a hug.

"_Of course not_ Henry. Of course not," she lied, reassuring the emotional teenager.

* * *

_Two and a Half Years Ago_

_Regina stood from her small, cramped desk, stretching as she did so. She looked out of the window of her tiny office, smiling at the view is afforded her. She'd only been working here as the general manager for three or so months and already she'd fallen in love with the Bellevue Stables. She handled the day to day running of the stables, a task not dissimilar to running a town; only she enjoyed this much more._

_She stood by the window, looking out over the main paddock area, where several young children were learning to ride. It was a beautiful, warm sight and although it filled her with a sort of happiness, she couldn't help but think of her home, of Daniel and of Henry. _

_The sound of knocking pulled her from her reverie and she turned, arms folding across her chest. She smiled slightly at the man standing before her, knowing he looked familiar but not having spoken to him before. She figured he must have been one of the casual stable hands, although he looked a little too old for that._

"_May I help you?" she asked, stepping away from the window to stand in front of her desk. _

_The tall, muscled man grinned, extending at hand for her to shake, "I'm Jack Johnson. I'm the horse trainer here…well actually, George and I take turns with that really. We hadn't met yet so I thought I'd come up and introduce myself," he explained, shaking her hand firmly._

_Regina shook his hand, her brow furrowing as she took in his words. The owners of the stables had said something about two horse trainers but that one was away for business or something. She smiled, relaxing a little as she took in the man's friendly and comfortable demeanour._

"_It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Johnson, I'm Regina Mills," she tells him, pulling her hand back against her body. _

_Jack chuckled, "Please, call me Jack."_

_Regina nods at the request, "Alright. Jack," she says after a moment's hesitation. Her time spent as a Queen and Mayor made her unaccustomed to informalities like this. She rarely addressed anyone by their first names, hadn't for quite a long time and most people just let her. Even someone did dare to contradict her like that she usually just kept on calling them by their titles but, this was a new her; one free from being the Evil Queen or Madame Mayor. That's why she acquiesced with his request, finding it odd yet altogether comfortable in saying his name._

"_Well," Jack started, hands falling to rest on his hips casually, "I better get back to it. It was lovely to meet you Ms. Mills," he said, turning to leave. _

"_Regina," she blurted out as he turned away from her. She had no idea what had possessed her to say it but it'd come out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "If you're allowing me to call you Jack, please, call me Regina," she tells him, staring at him with a funny feeling bubbling in her stomach._

"_If you insist," Jack grins as he turns back, nodding his head at her. "I'll see you later Regina." _

_Regina watched him leave, leaning against her desk as she did so. There was a feeling in her stomach, one she was trying to quell. It was odd, the man's whole persona, his aura seemed to be calling to her and she didn't know what to make of it. She shook her head, trying to dispel herself of the silly thoughts, moving around her desk to sit back down and resume her work. Her mind however, couldn't help but drift back to Jack Johnson repeatedly._

* * *

"Look Mom, I don't know when we'll be back okay. Things seem to be…a lot more complicated then we thought," the blonde Saviour sighs, running a hand through her hair as she listens to Mary Margaret speak on the other end. "I _know _mom. I'll talk to you later. Yeah, bye," she says, disconnecting the call and shoving her phone back in to her pocket.

Emma's standing just outside the front door, leaning against the brick wall as she was talking. Looking around the garden she can't help but wonder if Regina planted any of these or if she tends to the garden at all. She shakes her head then, she couldn't see Regina on hands and knees tending to a garden, at least not while she was so pregnant.

That little detail had been quite a surprise actually, out of all the states she'd expected to find Regina in, pregnant was not one of them. Pregnant with an apparently hunky boyfriend for that matter, was not how Emma had pictured Regina outside of Storybrooke after all these years. She wondered if the man, Jack if she'd heard correctly, knew anything at all about Regina's past lives; but judging by the fact that he didn't know Henry was Regina's son she highly doubted it.

She stood awkwardly by the front door for a moment before deciding that Henry and Regina had been left alone for long enough and made her way back inside the house. Closing the front door behind her, she frowned at the silence, having expected to hear Henry's now much deeper voice or even Regina's but she heard nothing. Emma walked back towards the kitchen, freezing at the sight before her; Regina and Henry wrapped up in each other's arms, engaged in a tight hug.

She knocked against the wall a little awkwardly, alerting them to her presence. She watched as the pulled apart and noted with sadness the tearstains on both their cheeks. Henry's eyes were long dried but she could still see the slightest of tears in Regina's eyes. The other woman looked away from the impromptu eye contact and so instead Emma focused her gaze back on Henry.

"You right kid?" she asked, walking over and ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Yeah," Henry nodded, trying to wipe at his eyes inconspicuously.

"Good," Emma replies. She looks over towards Regina, silently asking if she can sit. The brunette nods tightly, a hand moving down to rest against her swelled stomach. The three of them sit there for several moments in an almost awkward silence as each of them try to figure out what to say. It's Emma who eventually breaks the silence, the awkwardness almost stifling. "So uh…who was the man?" she asks, cringing as the words leave her mouth.

Regina glances over to her, eyes wide and eyebrows raised at the question. She sighs however, sneaking a peek at Henry who is attempting to be uninterested by the question but really isn't.

"His name is Jack. He's my…partner," she eventually says, blushing only a little at the words.

"Partner?" Henry asks confused.

"She means her boyfriend kid," Emma tells him, saving Regina from trying to explain it herself.

Henry's face falls a little. His mom had a boyfriend and she was having a baby. She was creating her own new little family and he wasn't apart of it and that hurt him more than he thought anything could. It hurt even more than when he'd found out his mom had left.

"Oh," he replied, sinking into his seat, glaring at the wooden table in front of him.

"Henry," Regina started, sensing that something was wrong.

Henry glared at her, standing up from the table abruptly. "Don't. It's fine, I get it. You don't love me anymore. That's why you're creating a whole _new _family with your _boyfriend _Jack and your stupid new baby!" he spat angrily, the angry tears spilling over onto his still young cheeks. He turns away, running from the kitchen and from the house, kicking at the garden fence as he went by.

Emma called after him in shock as Regina just sat there sadly. "Regina…hey…you know he didn't mean it. He's just surprised and upset is all. He'll come around," she tells her, trying to comfort the brunette even though she knew it wouldn't work.

Regina stands, shaking her head as she does so. "It's fine Emma. This is a lot for him to take in," she says, moving over to the sideboard and writing something down on a piece of paper. She comes back over to the table, sliding the paper over to Emma. "This is my cell number and my home number. In case Henry ever wants to talk," she says, smiling wistfully at the younger brunette.

"Okay," the blonde sighs, picking the paper up and tucking it into her pocket. "I uh…better go check on him," she continues, heading towards the front door.

Regina follows her, opening the door and ushering the blonde out. They stand on opposite sides of the threshold, both watching the other awkwardly. Looking over the blonde's shoulder Regina see's Henry slumped against their car, head down and hands in his pocket. Emma turns, following her gaze and sighs resignedly before turning back to face the ex-Evil Queen.

"We're going to be here for about a week. So…" she sighs again, not sure what she's trying to say, "Look, I'll try and get him to call you okay. We can go out and have lunch together one day alright? This was his idea and…he'll come around Regina. I promise."

Regina shakes her head, "Don't make promises you can't keep Miss Swan. They don't ever work out well."

* * *

_AN: Hi all! Long time not update but I do have a good excuse. I moved right and I couldn't get internet for about two months and I had this full chapter saved on my computer with no way to move it. Basically, I was stuck editing and re-writing this while waiting for my internet to get put back on. Well anyway, I got may internet back on my computer so therefore here is an update! Yay!_

_Also, the flashback was set for Jack and Regina's first meeting! It was originally going to be a different flashback but I liked this one better. I think their meeting was kind of cute but I could be biased. Anyway, please tell me what you thought! _

_Please review. :) LT._


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